Recover .VIM Files Lost to Accidental Deletion on External Drives

Have files been deleted due to a user’s error or software error? Have you formatted a disk by accident and need to know how to recover the files? Read our .VIM file recovery guide for Windows, MacOS, Android and IOS in 2024.

Recover .VIM Files Lost to Accidental Deletion on External Drives

What is a .VIM file?

Settings file used by Vim, a text editing program often used by source code developers; commonly used to save settings, such as syntax highlighting rules, for the text editor when it is opened; can be referenced within the .VIMRC settings file.

What Are Common Causes of ".VIM" Files Lost or Failure?

There are several common causes of .vim files being lost or experiencing failure:

  1. Accidental deletion: The most common cause is accidentally deleting the .vim files. This can happen when cleaning up files or folders, or when using file management tools.
  2. File system errors: Issues with the file system, such as corruption or disk errors, can lead to the loss or failure of .vim files.
  3. Software or hardware failures: Software or hardware failures, such as crashes, power outages, or system errors, can result in the loss or corruption of .vim files.
  4. Virus or malware attacks: Viruses or malware can infect and damage .vim files, leading to their loss or failure.
  5. Improper shutdown: Closing the Vim editor abruptly, without saving changes or exiting properly, can cause the loss or corruption of .vim files.
  6. Synchronization issues: If .vim files are stored or synced across different devices or platforms, synchronization issues can occur, leading to the loss or failure of files.
  7. Human error: Human error, such as accidental overwriting, incorrect file operations, or improper configuration settings, can also result in the loss or failure of .vim files.

To minimize the risk of losing .vim files, it is recommended to regularly back up files, use reliable storage devices, keep software and systems updated, and practice safe browsing habits to avoid malware infections.

How to recover lost ".VIM" files?

Sometimes while working with a computer, laptop or other stationary or mobile devices, you may encounter various bugs, freezes, hardware or software failures, even in spite of regular updates and junk cleaning. As a result, an important ".VIM" file may be deleted.

Go to view
🧺 How to Recover Files and Folders After Sending Them to the Recycle Bin and Deleting? (Windows 11)

🧺 How to Recover Files and Folders After Sending Them to the Recycle Bin and Deleting? (Windows 11)

By no means should you think that the only way to recover a ".VIM" file is always to create it once more.

Use programs for recovering ".VIM" files if a file was lost after accidental or deliberate deleting, formatting the memory card or the internal storage, cleaning the storage device, after a virus attack or a system failure.

Programs to recover ".VIM" files

Looking for a way to get files back? In cases when files were deleted and they cannot be restored by using standard operating system tools, use Hetman Partition Recovery.

Partition Recovery™ 4.9
The tool recovers data from any devices, regardless of the cause of data loss.
Download

Follow the directions below:

  1. Download Hetman Partition Recovery, install and start the program.

  2. The program will automatically scan the computer and display all hard disks and removable drives connected to it, as well as physical and local disks.

    File Recovery Software
  3. Double-click on the disk from which you need to recover ".VIM" files, and select analysis type.

    Hetman Partition Recovery - Analysis Type
  4. When the scanning is over, you will be shown the files for recovery.

    Hetman Partition Recovery - Files that Can be Restored
  5. To find a file you need, use the program’s interface to open the folder it was deleted from, or go to the folder "Content-Aware Analysis" and select the required file type.

    Hetman Partition Recovery - Deep Scan
  6. Select the files you have been looking for and click "Recovery".

    File Recovery Software - Files List for Recovery
  7. Choose one of the methods for saving the files and recover them.

    Saving recovered files in Hetman Partition Recovery

How to open file with ".VIM" extension?

Looking for how to open a stereo vim Settings File image file file?

Programs that open ".VIM" files

Windows
gVim gVim
Mac
MacVim MacVim
Vim Vim
Linux
Vim Vim

Additional Information

  • File type: Vim Settings File

  • File extension: .VIM

  • Developer: N/A

  • Category: Settings Files

  • Format: Text

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Comments (1)

  • Hetman Software: Data Recovery
    Hetman Software: Data Recovery 18.12.2019 13:25 #
    Leave a comment if you have any questions about Recovering lost .VIM files after deleting, cleaning or formatting!
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Vladimir Artiukh

Author: Vladimir Artiukh, Technical Writer

Vladimir Artiukh is a technical writer for Hetman Software, as well as the voice and face of their English-speaking YouTube channel, Hetman Software: Data Recovery for Windows. He handles tutorials, how-tos, and detailed reviews on how the company’s tools work with all kinds of data storage devices.

Oleg Afonin

Editor: Oleg Afonin, Technical Writer

Oleg Afonin is an expert in mobile forensics, data recovery and computer systems. He often attends large data security conferences, and writes several blogs for such resources as xaker.ru, Elcomsoft and Habr. In addition to his online activities, Oleg’s articles are also published in professional magazines. Also, Oleg Afonin is the co-author of a well-known book, Mobile Forensics - Advanced Investigative Strategies.

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Questions and answers

  • What is the purpose of the .vim backup files?

    The purpose of the .vim backup files is to provide a backup copy of the original file being edited in Vim text editor. These backup files have the same name as the original file but with a ~ appended to the end.

    The backup files are created by default when Vim saves changes to a file. They serve as a safety net in case the original file is accidentally modified or deleted. If any issues occur during the editing process, the original file can be restored from the backup file.

    Additionally, the backup files can be useful for comparing changes made to the original file over time. They can also be used to recover unsaved changes or to revert back to a previous version of the file.

  • How can I disable or change the location of the .vim backup files?

    To disable or change the location of the .vim backup files, you can modify your Vim configuration file (.vimrc) by adding the following lines:

    To disable backup files completely:

    ```

    set nobackup

    set nowritebackup

    ```

    To change the backup file location:

    ```

    set backupdir=~/.vim/backup

    ```

    Replace `~/.vim/backup` with the desired directory path where you want to store the backup files.

    Save the changes to your .vimrc file and restart Vim for the changes to take effect.

    Note: The `nobackup` and `nowritebackup` options disable the creation of backup files entirely, while the `backupdir` option changes the location where the backup files are stored.

  • Is it possible to recover a previous version of a file from the .vim backup?

    Yes, it is possible to recover a previous version of a file from the .vim backup. By default, Vim creates a backup file with a tilde (~) suffix whenever you save a file. This backup file contains the previous version of the file.

    To recover the previous version, you can follow these steps:

    1. Navigate to the directory where the file is located.
    2. Look for a file with the same name as your original file but with a tilde (~) suffix (e.g., if your file is "example.txt", the backup file will be "example.txt~").
    3. Rename the backup file to the original file name (e.g., rename "example.txt~" to "example.txt").
    4. You can now open the recovered file using Vim or any other text editor to access the previous version.

    Note that this method only works if you have the backup feature enabled in your Vim configuration. You can check if backups are enabled by running the command `:set backup?` in Vim. If it returns `backup`, then backups are enabled, and you should be able to recover the previous version.

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